In A Mirror Sparkley
by gmgurp666
Summary: A fan fic that answers the question what might have happened if it was not the Vulcans who made First Contact.
1. Chapter 1 A New Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of it spin-off works.

I write this for it's entertainment value alone and hope this form of

imitation dose not offend anyone. There is absolutely no exchange of

money involved in the writing or posting of this work.

This is a fanfic based on the idea of what would have happened

if Cochran had missed the window to be noticed by the Vulcans. The

first few chapters will probably jump a little in setting up for the first

real story. So I hope you enjoy it.

In A Mirror Sparkley Chapter 1 : New Beginning

As Zefram Cochran sat in the bar getting drunk, again, he

wondered where the plan had gone so wrong. It had been a week since

the first ship in human history had traveled faster than light. By now he

was expecting to be rolling in his new found fortune on a beach

somewhere. Anywhere!

Instead "The Phoenix" was almost ready for her second flight,

an undertaking Cochran would not be aboard for. He intended to be

safely in the command center letting Lily do the crazy flying stuff this

time.

But before Zefram could order his next bottle, a man sat down

across from him, a fresh bottle in his hand. Judging by his clothes the

newcomer was certainly not local. Although identifying a persons

departure point by his clothes was nearly impossible since the war.

It had actually become easier to pick out those outfits that didn't belong.

Yet Cochran would still have bet his ship this guy did not get

to colder climates much. His clothing was layers of thin material

designed to be removed, or added to, as necessary. This indicated a

lack of the heavier coats of local fashion in the man's wardrobe.

"Mr. Cochran, my name is Joseph Carter. I represent a man

named Randell Slade. My employer would like to speak with you

about acquiring your ship." The stranger had a voice that could

charm the most hardened heart on the planet. That and the bottle

helped, maybe traveling faster than light made a person impatient.

Two days later Zefram Cochran was lying on a beach sipping

a tall mixed drink while the small financial empire known as the

Slade Foundation swung into full gear to understand and reproduce

the drive principles of the first human craft to ever break the light barrier.

Randell Slade stood on the catwalk overlooking the vast work

area. He and Cochran were alike in many ways, but Slade would never

retire. His ambitions, as with most business men, could never truly be

realized. Because of this, his corporate giant would soon be expanding

off of it's home ball of mud. The "True Space Age" was about to begin.


	2. Chapter 2 First Contact

In a Mirror Sparkley Chapter 2: First Contact

Two years have passed since "The Phoenix" broke the warp barrier. Humanity, under the leadership of the Slade Foundation has expanded out into the solar system at a phenomenal rate. Luna and Mars have been colonized, along with dozens of asteroid colonies and a few expeditions to study the moons of Jupiter.

Mankind is still confined to the Sol system due to their inability to exceed warp 1.5. While this allows for trips from Terra to Mars in no more than ten minutes, the distances involved in interstellar flight meant using too many resources to produce the mobile ecosystems necessary for such long trips.

Little did humanity know that they were about to have unexpected guests.

The alien ship coasted through space at warp two, easily outrunning anything humanity could mobilize. Ship's sensors aboard the "Longevity" showed gentle curves and a burnt copper color on the vessel passing them. Being mostly navigational sensors, they lacked the ability to discern ships systems on the stranger, but could pick up several high energy sources that were probably weapons.

Hoping to open trade relations with a completely new species, Captain Stevens ordered all channels to be opened and focused on the quickly receding craft. At the same time he signaled for Miranda Thomas to bring the ship about and give pursuit.

She swiveled around in her chair with a smile that conveyed her understanding of the profits possible in such a situation. With the flip of a few controls she took the control stick, and the whole crew felt the ship bank hard to go after the unknown craft. This was an accomplishment given the inertial compensators on a patrol craft, but the helms woman had called for full power from the engines before even starting to maneuver.

She and the captain both knew they could never hope to catch the sleek ship as it sped away from them. But between the engines and the comm system they were hoping to get there attention. What they got was an alien language answering their hail. All patrol craft carried the latest translation software, but it was far from universal and their computers were designed for combat, not chatting. The one thing that was going their way was the alien suddenly coming to a complete stop and waiting for them to catch up.

The communication officer, Spencer Deacons, quickly contacted their base and requested assistance. Io base sent back a limited translation matrix and dispatched two more ships to render assistance.

Meanwhile Stevens tried out the new translation matrix and was pleasantly surprised when he received the reply, "We are the merchant scout Crevox, of the Ferengi Trade Federation, pleased to meet you Longevity. We detected the presence of low power warp fields in this system and decided to investigate."

These words caused the captain and the helms woman to exchange significant glances. Key phrases caused both worry and hope, trade federation and low power were such telling comments that their guests were greater in number and quiet advanced technologically.

Stevens grinned and responded,"Crevox, we appreciate your interest and look forward opening more formal relations with your species."

What no one on board the Longevity realized was that their opposite numbers on the Crevox were mirroring their thoughts of profit almost perfectly.

And so it came to pass that First Contact was a meeting of wallets. With the Ferengi as their original guides to the perils of the universe at large, humanity's first steps toward the stars would prove to be interesting for many species.

Please R & R


	3. Chapter 3 Discussions Before Launch

In a Mirror Sparkley Chapter 3: Discussions Before Launch

With the Ferengi as trade partners humanity advanced quickly as they  
purchased technology with anything they had. Many volunteers entered  
indentured service for resources to build ships that could handle the  
stresses of higher warp experiments.

Finally, after three years, they had built and tested their first warp 6  
ship. The "Endeavor" would explore the systems around earth in a  
systematic pattern. Spiraling outward they would be able to set up  
a reliable communication grid and drop probes to report on the  
systems planets and asteroids. Then they would move on to the  
next system.

The plan was to have a colonization priority for the first three  
reusable colony ships.

To this end the command staff sat around the conference table  
reviewing all the accumulated data of what to expect. Captain Jennifer  
Carter serenely watched her second, Commander Maxwell Otaku,  
imagine all the horrible things that could happen to them. He was an  
excellent planner and improviser, said to live up to his name sake in  
all things but most of all in staying alive.

"Well Captain, I'm not sure what will be worse. Running into the Klingons  
or the Vulcans. Between ultra violent and unemotionally calculating, I think  
I'll take the third option."

Carter looked on with raised eyebrow. He answered, "Run. As far and  
as fast as we can." Anyone else might have thought him a coward, but  
this crew knew he was just stating the best way to deal with the situation.

The Engineer, Lily Sloan, spoke up,"Just remember, it took us over two  
years between our first warp flight and First Contact. In the three years  
since then we have not made contact with another race. It is completely  
possible it may be another five years. Our main focus should be expanding  
our knowledge base and our intercept depth. The last thing we need is a  
violent race flying into Sol and blowing us away. We got lucky that the Ferengi  
didn't start shooting."

The Tactical Officer, Richard Sparks, interjected here,"Maybe they would have  
handed us our heads three years ago. But I would like to see them try to  
punch through the new graviton pulse shields. And with the latest model EMP  
rounds for the rocket launchers, we should be able to cover our own ass."

The Medical Officer, Doctor Nathan Trager, spoke up at this point,"I honestly  
think that disease is going to be the worst problem we have to deal with for  
the first few years. Even if we do encounter a hostile species, according to  
all this data most of them have barely passed warp four. We can run circles  
around them."

Max said,"That's assuming this data isn't at least half wrong. The Ferengi do  
seem to exaggerate their own greatness quiet a bit." He turned to the captain,  
"From what I can get out of this data the Klingons and Vulcans look like our  
worst possible threats. The only real difference is in what way we may offend  
each group."

Carter leaned closer to the table," Listen people, we can speculate about this,  
all night. But what we really need to be focusing on is our plan for if we don't  
find anyone in between here and there. The priority has to be establishing our  
knowledge base for the colony ships and spread the comm and sensor network."

With these words the entire group started focusing their efforts. One by one  
they went over the steps of the trip. When they were done the entire mission  
plan was set. Contingencies were added where needed. With all this done, they  
dispersed to their dorms to get some sleep for their flight to the Endeavor the next day.

* * *

Hope you are enjoying it so far. If so please review. And Please take the poll. Have ideas  
for each race, just not sure which one to introduce first.

I would like to thank my wife and dad for proof reading for me.


	4. Chapter 4 Preflight

In A Mirror Sparkley Chapter 4: Preflight

The next day the crew, command and technical, were all  
shuttled up to the Endeavor. On final approach they got a  
great view of the sprawling station, The Bazaar. This huge  
construct measured over five kilometers wide, bristling with  
docking and construction slips.

The Endeavor fit snugly into one of these. Umbilical cables  
fed it power and materials, filling it's holding tanks.

Dwarfed by the station, the Endeavor looked small and  
fragile. But It was constructed of tritanium, the strongest  
alloy humanity knew of. A sleek tear drop measuring three  
hundred meters in length and two hundred at the widest point.  
It occupied over 13.6 million cubic meters and weighed over  
half a million metric tons. Yet it was the most advanced ship  
ever built by man.

As the crew neared the behemoth details resolved along  
it's hull and the true scale of the craft sank in. Dozens of launch  
tubes pockmarked the otherwise surface. They ranged in size  
from the half meter rocket tubes to the two meter drone tubes.  
There were also visible, the docking bay and cargo doors,  
designed for massive amounts of material to move quickly to  
and from the ship. The last surface features to catch their eyes  
were the many bussard collectors arranged around the base of  
the forward cone.

Their shuttle approached one of the docking ports and their  
view was obscured by the curving bulk of the ship. They waited  
for the airlock to equalize and the hatch irised open. The technical  
crew excused themselves and headed for their quarters to stow  
their gear before getting to work. The command crew, whose  
gear had come up earlier, headed for the bridge.

Stepping out of the lift they each assumed their stations.  
Weapons and Navigation had matched reclining pods one on  
either side of the captains chair. The XO had a seat just behind  
hers with Science and Engineering behind and to the sides.  
The two stations and the view screen formed a triangle with  
a conference area just outside at the rear of the bridge. The  
arrangement mirrored the shape of the ship and gave all crew  
an unobstructed view of the main screen at the front.

As they all took their places screens unfolded to surround  
them and display information varying by the stations purpose.

As the Captain reviewed her checklist it became apparent  
that there was an enormous amount of work left to do before  
their launch. She reached for the controls her chair and retracted  
her displays, and opened the ship wide comm system. Elsewhere  
on the vessel three screens blinked on relaying the image of the  
captain to the eight person tech crew.

"I, Captain Jennifer Carter, as of this date, April 25, 2068, do  
hereby assume command of the United Trade Alliance Ship Endeavor."  
With the formalities dispensed with the redhead relaxed a bit and  
said,"As I'm sure we all know there is still an extraordinary amount  
of work to do before we will be ready for launch. I want to assure  
you that with all of us pulling together we will make our scheduled  
launch date and begin an adventure that no human has ever  
undertaken before. To explore new star systems in search of places  
for people to live and prosper. To ensure the survival of our species  
long past the death of our home star. And finally to open peaceful  
relations with other species the likes of which we only be able to  
imagine at this point. But in the meantime lets get to work." With  
those words she closed the channel and swiveled around to see  
Max looking at her with an approving smile before returning to his  
work.

Over the next two days the crew of Endeavor finished all of the  
major work required to prepair them for their journey. Loading their  
various cargoes was the most time consuming and most important  
part. Of their ten cargo holds two were loaded to the bulkheads  
with supplies and spare parts. The next four were filled with the  
assorted probes/comm relays they would spend the following year  
deploying. Each one was capable of relaying all of their communication  
traffic back to earth while still performing some form of additional task,  
such as planetary survey or hydrogen mining.

Two of the remaining holds were loaded with drones and the necessary  
systems for launching them. Most of the drones were combat models  
with one quarter being survey units. The combat drones were little more  
than miniaturized impulse systems and anti graviton cannons with a  
control computer linking them. Due to the ineffective nature of EMP  
warheads on shields the drones would strip away an opponents defense.  
After which the Endeavor could fire it's rockets to disable every electrical  
system on the other ship. An entire cargo hold was dedicated to making  
sure they didn't run out of rockets. They also had an on board assembly  
line that could be easily reprogrammed to produce almost anything. The  
entire crew understood the importance of recovering whatever they could  
to limit the need to dip into their stores to make more.

Their last cargo hold was filled with trade goods, stuff that would last  
for ages, or even improve with time. These supplies were meant for the  
unlikely event they ran into another species. Also there secondary computer  
core was loaded with every creative work humanity still had.

As soon as the cargo was secured five parasite craft were brought into  
the docking bay. Four six meter shuttle craft were landed and then the  
twenty meter captains skiff was snuggled in. All of these were flattened  
teardrops, designed for both space and atmosphere. The skiff could even  
manage warp three for short hops.

After all this was accomplished the entire crew took the next day to  
consolidate the to do list. With this done they once again went about  
the work, trying to complete everything required for the launch as soon  
as possible. During this organized chaos they received an unexpected  
guest. The executive assistant of the Slade Foundation, Joseph Carter,  
showed up to see the crew and present a gift. He stood just to the right  
of the captain and opened his briefcase. Removing a small black object  
he placed it on the table and switched it on. It projected images of assorted  
landscapes. "It has been decided that upon your return you will each  
receive a parcel of land on your choice. This will be yours to do with as  
pleases you. This is a directive directly from Mr. Slade as a way of saying  
thank you for volunteering for and training so hard for the first human flight  
beyond the reaches of our solar system." Then he sat down and waited for  
any questions.

The entire crew was shocked into silence. Land was at a premium no  
matter where it was. To be given what looked to be no less than a  
thousand acres each... This would make each of them a member of the  
few richest people on Earth.

The captain was the first to recover,"The generosity of our employer  
has always been lavish. Please pass along our gratitude to Mr. Slade,  
and let him know we will do our very best to be deserving of such  
compensation. Now, if there is no more business," She glanced at the  
visitor who inclined his head in ascent," then let's get back to it people.  
There will be plenty of time to look over this data en route."

Everyone stood and moved toward their stations, the captain looked  
at her husband,"How long can you stay?"

He smiled at her and said,"About three hours, them the shuttle will  
return for me. Busy life of the second in command of a stellar power."

They both smiled,"Then we have time for the tour." she said with mild  
sorrow in her voice. He nodded and they left the bridge hand in hand.

The tour lasted an hour and ended at the quarters, where they spent  
the last two hours they would have for over a year together. The entire  
crew ensured the captain's privacy, envying her the chance but holding  
no grudge against her. They were all married, a measure taken to ensure  
they would not take any unnecessary risks, and understood the desire to  
spend some final time with their other halves. Five minutes before his shuttle  
arrived the captain escorted her husband to the airlock and gently kissed him  
goodbye.

Then he was gone and the captain was once more immersed in the task  
of preparing her ship for it's long voyage. She wore a gentle smile for the  
rest of the day, no matter how vexing the task she was currently doing.

Two days later they were ready to leave. Captain Jennifer Carter stood on  
the bridge of the UTAS Endeavor and ordered comms open.

"This is Bazaar flight control, please state your purpose." a young voice  
came over the speaker.

"This in Endeavor, requesting permission to depart."

There was a short pause and the sound of comm channels being patched,  
"This is Earth central, Randell Slade, may the gods stand between you and  
harm in all the dark places where you must walk. Permission granted."

With that the channel was closed and docking arms retracted, umbilicals  
unplugged, and thrusters were fired to give them a gentle push away from  
the station.

As they cleared the docking slip the ship brought up her subspace field and  
engaged impulse engines. At a half million kilometers she went to warp 1,  
increasing slowly as they exited the Sol system. With the Oort cloud finally  
behind them they jumped from warp 2 to warp 5 and began their journey.  
Captain Carter took one last look at Sol through the screen and then ordered  
the view changed to forward. No turning back now.

They were on their way.

* * *

Hope you like the beginning of the journey. Once again thanks to my wife for proofing it.

Please R & R. And take the poll.


	5. Chapter 5 The First System

In A Mirror Sparkley Chapter 5: The First System

Being jumped by an unknown craft was only ever theorized,  
and never expected in the first day after leaving earth. The  
sleek green shape, with it's long narrow hull and pylons  
swooping down like wings, shot toward the Endeavor from  
behind at an insane relative velocity. Their refusal to answer  
hails indicated less than friendly intentions.

Captain Carter ordered shields up. Most of her ship's weapons  
were useless at warp speeds. She planned to drop out of warp  
just as the enemy came into their own theorized weapons  
range, hopefully throwing the opponent off long enough to deploy  
drones.

As they waited the crew reflected that this ship could be on a  
course for earth, emphasizing the need to detect such potential  
threats early to allow for an intercept outside the solar system.

"Drop to sublight." The captain said looking at one of the displays  
around her. As the other ship shot past them at several hundred  
times the speed of light she said,"Deploy drone squadrons alpha  
through cappa, Ready the rocket launchers." Twenty one combat  
drones poured out of the ship's launch tubes and took up position  
behind the Endeavor's bulk. This position shielded them from  
immediate detection by the enemy, and hopefully would give the  
impression they were harmless.

As the other ship came toward them again they launched what the  
records called a photonic missile. It was very similar to the EMP  
rockets carried aboard the Endeavor except it used a matter/antimatter  
reaction to produce a massive release of pure energy. It also had  
a better guidance system, allowing for firing from longer range.

The Endeavor's shields thickened, adding an extra four layers to the  
projected point of impact. This had the effect of making that section  
of shields temporally three times as powerful as their opponents. The  
missile detonated almost in contact with the outer layer, the non-shaped  
charge wasted over eighty percent of its energy on open space. The  
remaining energy dissipated the outer three layers of shield before  
splashing on the fourth, totally dissipating before reaching the last layer.

"Now it's our turn." the captain said with an evil look in her eyes,"Initiate  
drone assault, stand by on rockets, I want their weapons and engines  
down. But let them keep breathing."

The small fleet of drones swooped out from behind the Endeavor and  
shot toward the unknown assailant. The other ship fired its disruptors  
and managed to take out two drones just before they fired. Nineteen  
anti graviton cannons fired as one, raking across the shields on the  
aggressive ship. The shields failed as energy fed back into the generators,  
causing them to go into emergency shutdown to avoid exploding.

Jennifer Carter grinned and gave the order to fire. Eight rockets streaked  
toward the target, then eight more, and eight more. Twenty four rockets  
in all sped for the target at full acceleration. With power surges still playing  
havoc with their systems the other craft did not even see the threat.

The first wave detonated toward the nose of the ship, blinding it as sensor  
control boards sparked and fused. The next wave spread out and hit the  
weapons and power feeds leading them, pulling the enemies teeth. The last  
eight rockets angled slightly on their limited maneuvering jets and detonated  
behind the ship, the shaped charge sending huge amounts of energy cascading  
into the enemies propulsion system, rendering them immobilized.

The captain sighed,"Okay Max, terminate simulation. Good work people." with  
that the attacking ship disappeared, replaced with the streaked star scape of  
warp travel."We'll have a formal evaluation tomorrow, but that was certainly  
a good show."

The next day the XO reviewed their performance in the sim. The gist was  
that they did well against the weakest Klingon ship they had data on.  
They only lost two drones, and the other ship was salvageable. This could  
definitely be called a win.

Then he criticized tactical for using six times as many rockets as needed.  
That was the only real point he could fault. The rest of the sim had gone  
according to plan, except for the captain's rather unexpected use of  
braking. He hadn't expected that, so the simulated ship flew right past  
them, having to turn around. This gave them time to deploy drones in  
sufficient number to strip away the targets shields in seconds.

With the evaluation over they returned to their usual tasks, monitoring  
ship's systems and adjusting power levels as needed. The rest of their  
time was spent in whatever way they chose. Many searched the database,  
creating personal play lists from all the music and movies available.  
Others played games, from poker to chess. Some even went so far as  
to read all those works they had available.

The most exciting thing to happen for the first half of the journey was  
the single combat sim. At the halfway point they dropped the first relay  
to ensure continued contact with Earth. Their subspace radio was  
designed to reach many times further, but the purpose was to create  
a multiple redundancy network to ensure continuous communications  
with the sensors, and eventually their colonies.

This lack of activities seemed to have no effect on the captain and XO.  
They spent no less than four hours a day playing chess, discussing their  
thoughts on the ships operations.

On the third day they were sitting on opposite sides of the board when  
the XO said,"When do you think I should run the next sim?"

The captain finished her move and stated,"I think the best time to run  
them is the first day after we clear each system. That way we can  
evaluate and decide if we need to do it again later on. I don't want us  
to get burned out on sims."

The XO would have liked to run more sims but could also understand  
the captain's point."I don't see any problems with that, but boredom  
is going to become an issue in a month or so."

"Not with all the questions and speech requests we have already  
received. They may slow down later on but for the first three months  
we are all going to be busy."

"I'm sure Lily will be just thrilled with that idea" He grinned evilly across  
the board.

"She dose have the most, but she is the co-founder of space travel."

They both fell silent after a brief laugh. Back to concentrating on the  
game.

A light year out the sensors resolved the upcoming system. Three  
stars, a half dozen gas giants, twenty small moons each, and an  
indeterminate number of asteroid belts. The belts seemed to flow  
in and out of each other through intricate patterns dictated by the  
pull of the stars and giants. This boiled down to a shooting gallery  
for the ship and it was decided to keep the shields up at all times  
while inside the system's outer planets.

The shortest flight path necessary to drop all the probes needed  
resembled a lumpy Z. Which meant two days navigating the system.

When they were done they had established the first survey network  
and protocols governing its composition. This process gave them a  
chance to do some scans as they passed, confirming the fact that the  
system would be a good mining prospect one day. As far as colonization  
was concerned the system was a write off, lacking even one habitable moon.

Moving away from the system at low warp they each hoped to find  
something more interesting at the next stop. All of them had slightly  
different opinions as to what interesting might be, ranging from suitable  
planets to other space faring races. But clearing the last major navigational  
hazard the Endeavor once again jumped to warp five and was off toward  
its next adventure.

* * *

I realize this chapter is a little dry, but I'm trying to get to their next contact  
without skipping too much. That means the occasional dry chapter. Thanks  
to those people who reviewed and especially to those who voted in the poll.  
It will be up until I start writing the next chapter.

Thanks again to my wife for proofing this for me. She enjoys my stories but  
sometimes my spelling and typos could tax a saint.

Once again please review. Even if you just say that you like or hate it. The  
encouragement helps. Or is it the schizophrenia? I'm working on three projects  
and have another two in the planning stages, so it may be a few days before  
the next chapter posts.


	6. Chapter 6: The Cardassians

In A Mirror Sparkley Chapter 6: The Cardassians

The next two systems the Endeavor visited went as uneventfully  
as the first. One system had an interesting ice belt orbiting between  
two of the outer planets. The other system had a planet rich in  
minerals necessary to the construction of warp capable ships.  
Each one had been tagged for later mining as secondary objectives  
to colonization. As of yet they had not discovered a single planet  
or moon suitable for colonization. The only comfort they could  
derive from the data was that they had only been at it three  
and a half weeks.

The combat sims had proceed as well, pitting them against a Klingon  
cruiser, a Vulcan destroyer, and an Andorian Frigate. The only one  
that had given them problems was the Vulcans. They had lost half  
of the drone fleet that had been sent out before disabling the targets  
weapons. At that point the Vulcan ship had jumped to warp 7 and  
escaped. This was only tentatively called a win by the XO, given that  
the enemy would eventually have been disabled and the Endeavor  
had suffered no damage. Now boredom was starting to set in again.  
They were nearing the halfway point of their fourth leg when the long  
range sensors picked up an object approaching at high warp. Battle  
stations were ordered and an analysis was run.

When the results came back the science officer could hardly believe it,  
"Captain, they don't appear to have any engines. The ship is riding a  
tachyon concentration."

"How is that possible, a starship should have too much mass for a  
tachyon to effect it."

The main viewer switched to the approaching ship, showing how such  
a thing was possible. The ship was comprised of a small hull with huge  
light sales spreading out in all directions."According to the analysis the  
material of the sails is absorbing most of the energy from the tachyons  
and generating a subspace field." His panel beeped,"The ship is slowing  
captain."

"Any sign of comm gear?"

"They appear to have radio equipment ma'am. Opening frequencies."

The speakers hissed for a short time until the right frequency was found,  
the the captain spoke,"This is the UTAS Endeavor, calling the small craft  
off our starboard bow, please respond."

The response was slow coming and in another language as the other crew  
tried to figure out the strange message coming from the behemoth they  
were approaching. The captain decided to press on,"We are explorers and  
traders, please continue transmitting. Our translator is working on your  
language."

The alien transmission resumed and more English was piped through the  
speakers as the program fished out the last few places. A beeping indicated  
the program had finally settled on a single algorithm. Captain Carter transmitted  
again,"This is the Endeavor, could you please repeat the last message?"

"This is the Cardassian Light Sail Ship Kesentshu, we are pleased to make  
contact with another intelligent species. We are a bit surprised to find one  
with a translation technology that works so well. We are peaceful explorers  
and scientists. Since our contact with the Bajorans twenty years ago we have  
been exploring space to try to increase our knowledge."

The captain recognized the similarity of purpose,"Perhaps we could meet to  
further both our goals. Are you capable of docking with our ship?"

"We would be most pleased to meet face to face. Yes we are capable of docking,  
although we will need to visually inspect your airlock before we can be sure of  
compatibility."

"We will illuminate the area of our docking hatch, I hope to see you soon."

As the small craft came closer the Endeavor's sensors confirmed that the two  
docks were comparable, a fact soon realized by the Cardasians as well. They  
turned their ship to align the two ports and moved closer, bringing the ships  
into contact. With the seal established the captain flipped the switch to open  
their end. The hatch irised open to reveal a door of brown metal. The hatch of  
the other ship opened shortly after to reveal her opposite number. The Cardasians  
had high neck bones covered in a scaly, leathery skin. Their faces were rather  
stark with prominent features and a spoon shaped raised area in the center  
of their foreheads. Once again Carter was reminded of the fact that most  
intelligent life they had on record was humanoid. Was this really just the blind  
chance of evolution or something else?

She dismissed the thought and extended her hand to the other captain.  
"Welcome to the Endeavor. I am Captain Jennifer Carter and this is my second  
in command Maxwell Otaku."

The Cardassian took her hand, recognizing the form of greeting as identical to  
their own,"A pleasure to meet you captain. My name is Jolan, and this is my  
crew,"He swept his left hand to indicate the two others with him,"Calar and Jeseph.  
We are very happy to make the acquaintance of another species." Carter gestured  
for him to follow and they walked toward the conference room where there was  
a light meal prepared to welcome their guests."I remember you saying you had  
made contact with a species you called Bajorans. If I may ask, how many other  
species have you met?"

"Personally, you are the second non Cardassians I have met. But as a people,  
we have also met the Vulcans. Their no nonsense attitude can be bland at first,  
but as we got to know them, we found them to have an incredible depth to them."

"We have heard of them, but have not yet bumped into any of them yet. In all  
honesty you are also our second encounter with a species not indigenous to our  
planet."

The conference room was laid out with a wide variety of food, most of the crew  
being good cooks. The primary reason for the conversation was to delay the party  
and give the others time to prepare. The captain saw that they had once again  
made her proud."This is a sampling of various foods from our planet, please enjoy."

They all filled their plates, buffet style and chose seats around the table. The captain  
raised her glass and all followed suit,"A toast, to new friends." They all drank, some  
of their guests not entirely sure about the flavor of their drinks.

The Cardassian captain took a few bites of his food,"This is quiet good, we are so  
used to re-sequences protein that a meal like this reminds me of home."

"If you don't mind me asking, where is Cardassia?"

"About a years travel,"He pointed,"in that direction. But you might be able to  
make better time. We have to stop at the end of each tachyon eddy and then  
hunt for the next. It can be time consuming."

"That would take a while, especially without any sensors capable of detecting  
the eddies at range. Maybe we could arrange a trade to get you some technologies  
that would help."

Jolan considered her for a moment before responding,"Perhaps, but I don't  
see what we would have to offer you in return. You appear to be a technologically  
advanced society."

"The truth is that we do still lack many technologies that would make life slightly  
easier. The protein re-sequencers you mentioned are one example, as well as  
the plans for the light sail ships you use. I imagine that many individuals would  
be more than willing to build a low cost, both construction and maintenance, ship  
for their personal use. While at the same time we could offer you a means to  
communicate back home with near instantaneous results."

The Cardassian captain raised his glass,"To a fruitful trade arrangement." All in  
the room responded.

The ships traveled together for two days, exchanging data while the crew of  
the Endeavor provided coordinates for all the tachyon eddies their sensors could  
detect. The human race gained the ability to re-sequence proteins and sail on  
light, as well as a great deal of literature. The Cardassians left with plans for  
subspace radio, drives and sensors, plus as much literature and art as their  
computers could handle. The trade might have been balanced in favor of the  
Cardassians, but Carter felt this could help with future relations, believing it  
would all work out in time.

The Cardassian ship made it's way to the tachyon eddy they had arrived on.  
They intended to proceed home to pass along the plans they had received.  
The Endeavor continued on it's way, transmitting all of their acquisitions to Earth  
via subspace radio. The two crews content in the knowledge that this was a good  
first meeting.

* * *

Well here is humanity's next contact. Hope you like it. Constructive reviews are as always appreciated. also I have created a forum section if you want to discuse the differences between these Cardassians and cannon.

Again thanks to my wife for proofing for me.

* * *


	7. Chapter 7: Betazed

In a Mirror Sparkley Chapter 7: Betazed

The next few systems visited by the Endeavor were rather unremarkable. Three had gas giants that had absorbed most of the stellar matter in the system until they had come to their current close orbits around their stars. Their was a system where no planets had formed, leaving a large disc of rock and ice to spin around the star. Scans of this system revealed a high level of dilithium and other materials used in warp technology. The crew was informed that one of the minor syndicates had decided to claim that system, so the finder's fees were being added to their accounts back home. But the real surprise awaited them in the next system.

As they approached the G type star, their sensors were flooded with a plethora of sub-light ships and radio signals. It looked like the system was teaming with ships of every size and shape traveling at relatively slow speeds between the M class planet and the various other celestial bodies of the system.

One ship was headed almost directly toward the Endeavor."It appears to be on a ballistic trajectory for the oort cloud. The engine tech is definitely advanced for sub-light. But that's not the really surprising part. Their air mix is almost exactly like ours with an ultra high efficiency recycling system." Dr. Trager reported from his station.

"The weapons of the craft are minimal. Looks like high efficiency lasers and some chemical rockets. Nothing to worry about." The second officer said.

"Can we match their comm frequencies?" Carter asked.

"I believe that's possible," Sloan answered."But we might want to get much closer, or the lag will kill any real chance of communication."

"Helm, bring us to within ten thousand meters, raise shields, and open frequencies."

The ship jumped to warp for about a minute and then started broadcasting a hail to the alien craft.

The smaller ship responded almost immediately with a transmission that was almost instantly analyzed by the translator."Earth vessel Endeavor, we await your visual communications protocols to begin contact."

"Well, that was quick." Max said.

"Sir, I don't think they were surprised to see us." Sloan said."They started transmitting as soon as our signal got to them. Some how they already had our language."

"Well, that's just one more question we can ask them. Transmit the protocols."

A few minutes later the screen came to life showing a very human looking male in scant clothing."Greetings Captain Carter. I am Captain Lastra of the Betazoid pleasure cloister Tristain. I'm sure that the list of questions is getting longer by the moment, but if you would allow, we could dock to continue this conversation face to face."

"Agreed Captain, we will come along side and dock."

ooo000OOO000ooo

As the airlock irised open Doctor Trager stepped forward to scan their guests.

The captain from the other vessel waited patiently for a moment while the doctor finished. "As the doctor is about to tell you Captain, we are remarkably close to your species, even genetically, but we have some neurological anomalies." Lastra said.

"You're telepaths." She smiled and offered her hand. "A pleasure Captain."

"Indeed, you are the first aliens we have ever meet. But we have sent word of your arrival to our home world. Due to the message lag though it appears as we will have a great deal of time before we hear back."

"Perhaps we can show you around?" Carter said.

Lastra held up a hand,"Yes that would be nice." He turned to his aide and nodded."Unfortunately my second will have to head back as our Lady is in need." The indicated person bowed before heading back into his own ship.

"I'm not sure what you mean." Carter inquired.

"The female of our species goes through periodic increases of their mating drive. When this happens they prefer to avoid accidentally broadcasting their passion to an entire city. That's where we come in, the pleasure cloister fleet takes a Lady going through this time out into the system so she can exercise her passions with only a small group of volunteers to receive her thoughts."

"I can see that we have much to discuss." Carter gestured down the corridor.

ooo000OOO000ooo

Two days later, after a long discussion with the Tristain's captain the Lady who was their current client made an appearance on the Endeavor. She was shown to the conference room along with her husband.

"Lady Troi, it is a pleasure to meet you." Carter said.

"Captain Carter, I do apologize for not being able to join you earlier. As I understand you have been informed of my condition."

"Yes Lady Troi. But I am pleased to meet you." Carter gestured for her guest to take a seat.

"Thank you. It may also interest you to know that I have been authorized to speak on behalf of my government."

Carter raised an eyebrow,"Really?"

"Yes, I am a major noble within our government. As such I have authorization to speak for our race. I received a message from Betazed this morning informing me that the closest diplomat is at least two weeks away."

"Well then, I think we need to start with a discussion about the possibility of trade."

ooo000OOO000ooo

The negotiations took about three times longer than necessary due to Lady Troi's condition. She was only able to work for about four hours a day, after which she had no choice but to return to her ship. Otherwise she was likely to rape the first person she saw after passing her threshold. Her husband was very careful to monitor her brainwave patterns and gave plenty of warning to wrap it up for the day. If Captain Carter was annoyed by the frequent interruptions she kept it so close to her chest that no one, not even her XO, noticed.

After a weeks semi-layover, the ship dropping comm and sensor relays around the system, they rendezvoused with the cloister ship for the last time. This time was to sign the contract and form the beginnings of an Interstellar Alliance.

"Lady Troi,"Otaku began as she stepped out of the airlock,"It is a pleasure to see you again." He was not lying. He found tall, stacked blonds attractive and was of the firm opinion that if Lady Troi were to try she could be a star in the reformed adult industry on Earth.

Randell Slade had decided that after the millennium of guilt caused by religious interference that it was necessary to limit their influence on lawmaking. Therefore most moral decisions were left outside the realm of law, so much so that business law was the thickest section of the ten page document that defined all that was illegal within the Alliance.

She looked a little shaky,"If you would Commander, I feel that this will be the last time that I can be here."

"Of course ma'am." He led the way to the conference room and took up a position behind his captain.

"Lady Troi,"Carter began,"I understand that we don't have much time. The papers have been prepared."

"Very well." Lady Troi said as she picked up her pen and signed while Carter did the same. Then they swapped copies and repeated the ritual. With one last piece of formality to dispense, Lady Troi spoke,"Let this mark the entry of Betazed and Earth into the Interstellar Trade Alliance."

A brief round of applause sounded from the two parties, even Troi managed a weak clapping.

Carter stepped forward and shook hands with her and gestured for the hatch,"If I may, I will escort you back to your ship."

"That would be appreciated Captain, and please accept my sincerest thanks for your patience the last few days."

As they walked along the corridors the two women talked quietly over the effects that this trade agreement might have on both their societies. At the air lock the captains exchanged pleasantries and the Betazoid ambassador expressed her thanks for the Endeavor's hospitality.

With that the Betazoid ship disengaged and continued along it's course. The Endeavor turned in system and jumped to warp one until it was in orbit around Betazed. Once there they docked with the orbital defense ring, a massive construct designed to police the sky for asteroids, and transfered the documents and agreed upon items to their newest trade partners.

On their exit from the system that evening the command crew was having a dinner in the main mess.

The Captain raised her glass,"To the new ITA, may it grow from this moment forth."

She was answered by resounding affirmations.

The XO put his glass down,"I just hope next time we don't end up negotiating with a sex crazed noble."

The doctor laughed,"I don't know. It was nice to have a new perspective on elderly reproductive habits."

"True,"The Captain said,"But I just hope all our relations are as amiable from the start."

"Here, Here." the crew chorused.

ooo000OOO000ooo

I can't believe that it's been almost six month since the last time I updated this one. I will try not to do that again.

Thanks to my wife for reviewing for me.


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